The House and Senate energy committees are full throttle this week, both sides moving a score of clean energy related bills.
Under the leadership of Senator Lisa Murkowski, the Senate Energy and Natural Resources Committee passed 22 billsall but one with bipartisan support. “I think if you look to the details of what we’ve just moved out of committee, there is a great deal of substance,” she said. “Whether it’s what we have advanced with nuclear energy and the leadership there, whether it’s the measures on efficiency, whether it’s our critical minerals.”
Bills passed include:
- The Launching Energy Advancement through Innovations in Natural Gas (LEADING) Act (S.1685)sponsored by Senators John Cornyn (R-TX), Chris Coons (D-DE), Bill Cassidy (R-LA) and Krysten Sinema (D-AZ)would direct the Department of Energy to conduct critical carbon capture research and development for natural gas power plant applications like NetPower. As part of that new effort, it lays out an aggressive goal of demonstrating at least three applications by 2025.
- The Nuclear Energy Leadership (NELA) Act(S.903)sponsored by Murkowski and Sen. Cory Booker (D-N.J.)would help create a national strategy for nuclear energy and support the development of advanced nuclear reactors.
Over in the House, the Energy and Commerce Committee is currently considering 26 bills ranging from cybersecurity to energy efficiency.
Speaking of energy efficiency, this afternoon EE super duo Senators Rob Portman and Jeanne Shaheen are reintroducing the bipartisan Energy Savings and Industrial Competitiveness Act, which will improve energy efficiency in three key sectorsbuildings, industrial, and the federal government. Portman called the bill a “win-win.”
Keep the momentum winds blowing!